


Camelot

by mlea7675



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Broadway References, Gen, Reflection, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:48:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlea7675/pseuds/mlea7675
Summary: On the final night of his Presidency, Jed Bartlet reflects on his job, his staff, and the "brief and shining spot" in the Bartlet Administration. Inspired by the “Finale Ultimo” from the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot and John F. Kennedy.
Kudos: 7





	Camelot

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is a one-shot that I came up with last night when I was watching The West Wing, and thought of this song from Camelot. I thought it complemented the first years of the show perfectly. Hope you enjoy, please read and review!

President Josiah Bartlet sat at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, deep in thought. It was his last night in the White House. He knew that eventually, Abbey would come in and start badgering him to get a good night’s sleep before the Inauguration and their flight back to Manchester, so he knew he’d better savor every moment of this last night.

Jed stood up from his desk, crossing the room to where he had a small stereo. He rarely used it except for when he wasn’t working. Actually, if he was being technical, it was Debbie’s stereo; he just borrowed it from her Outer Office. He looked through his miniscule record collection until he found the one he was looking for.

The original Broadway cast of _Camelot._ Written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe and premiered in 1960.

He put the record into the stereo and pressed PLAY. Walking over to the couches, Jed sat down and began to read his newspaper as the music and the story of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere washed over him. He began to think about everything.

How Leo had come to him nearly ten years earlier with the idea that he could run for President. How Abbey had balked at the idea until he made a-ultimately broken-promise to only serve one term, and they would keep the MS a secret until he left office.

Look how well that had turned out.

He hadn’t thought about the MS scandal in years. Once it was out, his infrequent attacks were so well handled that he managed to forget that in the beginning they had lied about every illness Jed had suffered. His injections of Betaseron given by Abbey had saved his life, but it had come at a dear cost. Abbey had voluntarily surrendered her medical license, suffering an identity crisis in the meantime. Was she First Lady or was she a doctor? Jed had always felt bad for the pain his wife had suffered during that period.

His Senior Staff had weathered the MS scandal with poise, and they had all come through stronger in the end. In a way, Jed thought as he listened to the gifted voices of Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet, there really had been a sort of “Camelot” that defined their first term.

As it continued into the second act, Jed stood up and, using his cane, walked back over to the Resolute desk. He picked up two frames: both had the same group of people, and yet there was a transformation after the second picture had been taken that unalterably changed their core team. The pictures were from the first and second Inaugurations.

The first picture had Jed in a candid shot with his Senior Staff. Jed smiled softly over his glasses at the grinning faces of himself, Abbey, Leo, Josh, Toby, Sam, and CJ. Charlie hadn’t been hired yet, and Donna had been too busy taking it all in to even notice that a picture had been taken.

The second Inauguration picture was more formal, and yet warm and personal. It had been taken at the second ball, shortly after Josh had arrived with Donna and the rest of the guys in tow. He remembered that night well. Hearing Abbey asking the guys where they had been, and Josh and Toby talking over each other, rambling over some nonsense about snowballs and a cab. And, of course, later that night, formally welcoming Will into the fold and then leaving early to deal with the crisis of Kundu.

Jed stared at the picture fondly. That night had been the pinnacle of the Administration-and yet had also been the beginning of the end. He traced each person’s picture, and began allowing his mind to wander to each member of his Administration.

Josh, the man he considered to be a son. He had caused many headaches (the Mary Marsh incident on Capitol Beat and the secret plan to fight inflation had nearly caused Jed to tear his hair out and fire him), but things had shifted after Rosslyn. The day Josh had taken a bullet for him-and for Charlie. Josh had gotten him elected, and he would forever be grateful. And now, it seemed, lightning had struck twice. Josh would be a fine Chief of Staff to Santos, and with Donna to keep him in line, he would be an even better man.

Ah, Donna, he thought. A bright-eyed, idealistic twenty-four-year old when they first met, she had become like a daughter to him. In many ways, she reminded him of Ellie-calm and collected, intelligent, and a veritable sponge of information. From the first day she sat on the bus with him and debated the exact wording of the Declaration of Independence with him, Jed knew she was something special, and she held him in the same esteem. But eventually, after risking her own life in the Middle East, she had left, and Jed had wondered why. But when she explained that it was time for her to move on, that she needed a fresh start away from Josh, he accepted it and watched in awe as she spread her wings. It didn’t hurt, either, that Josh had finally gotten it together and started a relationship with her. That reminded him, he owed Abbey a hundred dollars for guessing that they would figure it out before the end of the Administration.

Sam. Yet another idealistic man-from California, no less-he had been the one Jed had the most doubt about. But that all disappeared when he discovered what a gifted speechwriter Sam was. And when he’d gotten to tease Leo about Sam dating his daughter, that hadn’t hurt, either. Sam had been the first to leave, running unsuccessfully for Congress before deciding to stay out in LA. Jed had never blamed Sam for leaving, but he also recognized that Sam’s departure had been the beginning of the end of their Camelot Era. He heard Sam was back in DC now, engaged to Ainsley Hayes from the early years, and he knew that he would be not only a great friend to Josh, but a valuable asset to the Santos Administration.

Charlie. Jed smiled softly as he thought about Charlie. He had been 23 when Jed first met him, mourning the loss of his mother and taking night classes while supporting his little sister on the side. Josh had hired him as his personal aide, a job Charlie took with pride. Charlie was also a young man that Jed considered to be one of his own. Oh, he felt that way with all his Staff, but Charlie-Charlie was special. CJ had taken him on after he graduated, and now he was going to law school and dating Zoey again. Much like with Josh and Donna, Jed knew it was only a matter of time with those two.

Toby. Toby was the one who most clashed with Jed, if only because he was the most brave. That night in the Oval Office when he told Toby about the MS was one to remember. He could still remember Toby’s harsh words: “ _For 90 minutes that night there was a coup d'etat in this country!_ " Jed had gotten angry at him, but came to realize that Toby was right. About the MS, at least. There was also the time when Toby had confronted him in the Oval about his father’s alleged abuse, which got him to finally confront all the feelings he had been suppressing. So, overall, Toby had been right, just not what Jed wanted to hear at that particular moment in time. But earlier this year...

Jed sighed. He tried not to think about the leak too much. It was unforgivable. Abbey knew, and had told him, that one day, Jed would find it in his heart to forgive him, but not now. There was a chance he could be pardoned tomorrow-but Jed still had no idea whether or not he would do it. Toby had betrayed him, and it would take a long time to earn back his trust.

CJ. His Chief of Staff, the only one who had stayed until the end. He was the only one who could call CJ by her full name, Claudia Jean, and get away with it. He smiled, thinking of how she had made the transition from Press Secretary to COS with relative ease. Leo had known what he was doing when he picked her to succeed him. Last he heard, she was heading to California the next day to be with Danny Concannon. Yet another relationship that had taken way too long to coalesce, he thought with a chuckle. She was on her way to a happily ever after with Danny, a new job at the Hollis Foundation, and a new life away from politics, and Jed could not have been more proud of her.

His thoughts shifted to Will, and Kate Harper. They were new, not part of the team, but Jed wished them all the best as they embarked on their new lives-together, if what he heard was correct.

He sighed, his finger trembling as he touched the frame where Leo was. Leo. His best friend, his Chief of Staff, was gone now. Jed still missed him everyday, and always regretted the argument that turned them against one another and had driven Leo to a heart attack. It had been a second heart attack that felled him on the last Election Day, the night he should’ve become VP. Jed felt a horrible sorrow as he thought of how his best friend would never be able to serve the President the way he wanted to. God, he missed Leo.

He was jolted from his thoughts by a knock, and CJ entered. “Good evening, sir.”

“Hey, CJ.” he replied. “Any international crises I need to deal with?”

“No, sir. I just thought you would be up in Residence by now.” CJ paused, unsure of how the rest of the conversation was going to go. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

“I suppose so. Ready as I’ll ever be.” Jed admitted. “I was just reminiscing.” Jed looked up as the album was winding to the last song, the finale. “Have you ever heard this before, CJ?”

CJ looked up in surprise at the sound of the stereo. “No, sir, I can’t say I have.”

“It’s _Camelot_ , by Lerner and Loewe. Do you know what other musical they did?”

CJ thought for a minute. “Um... _My Fair Lady?_ ”

“Right you are. Just listen to these lyrics for a minute, would you?” Jed turned up the volume. Richard Burton’s voice sang out clearly,

_Don't let it be forgot_

_That once there was a spot_

_For one brief shining moment that was known_

_As Camelot._

“It’s beautiful.” CJ said as the album tapered off.

“Makes you think of us, doesn’t it?” Jed asked quietly. “Don’t let it be forgot/that once there was a spot/For one brief shining moment. Those first four years, that was our ‘brief shining moment’. JFK called his Presidency the ‘Camelot Era’ because of this song, and I have to agree with him. This was our Camelot, CJ. Never forget that.”

CJ took a deep breath, overcome with emotion at the meaning of the lyrics as memories of the early Bartlet days washed over her. “Yes, sir.”

Jed looked at her, then offered his arm. “Would you like to accompany me to the Residence? I think Abbey would like to have your company. One last night.”

“That would be nice, sir. But I have to get home and pack. There’s a 2:05 ticket to LAX tomorrow with my name on it.”

“Suit yourself.” Jed said with a twinkle in his eye, walking over to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sir?” CJ asked. Jed turned around. “Do you really think we had a Camelot? Even with everything that happened?”

“Especially with everything that happened.” Jed said determinedly. “You, me, Josh, Donna, Sam...even Toby...we’re going to be the only people in the world who know what this felt like. There will never be another Bartlet presidency, just like there will never be another JFK. There will never be another Camelot. That’s what Jackie Kennedy said after she lost her husband. There will never be another moment in time like this one.”

CJ nodded in understanding. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, sir.”

“Good night, Claudia Jean.” With that, CJ excused herself to her office. Jed took one more look around, soaking in his Camelot, before going out the door and towards the Residence, where his wife was waiting for him.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hope you enjoyed this one-shot! Please let me know what you thought!


End file.
